Resilient wheel.



Y F. J. KRODEL.

v REsIL-IENT WHEEL. APPLIOATIO N'FILED SEPT. 10, 1913.

Patented Ja11.27, 1914.

P. J. KRDBL.

RESILIENT VWHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1913.

1,085,442', Patented Jan. 27, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ITED STATES PATENT FIC.

FRANK J. KRDEL,4 OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RESILIENT WHEEL.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK J. KRDEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented. cert-ain new and useful Improvements in Resilient Vheels, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to the construction and arrangement of a wheel in which the shocks incident to travel are absorbed by means of springs in place of the usual pneumatic cushion of the inflated type of tire.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a construction which will distribute the shock over a plurality of springs, thus eliminating` the bringing of excessive pressure on one spring; to provide a tractive engagement between the outer and inner sections of the wheel through the medium of the springs; to so arrange the springs as to permit of their ready removal and insertion; and to arrange the springs whereby they serve to maintain Aeach other in centralized relation with respect to the bearing surface on which the free ends of the springs travel.

The invention further consists in the features of construction andl combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the wheel of the present invention with one of the outer plates or shields removed; Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 4e is a perspective of one of l the springs.

The present invention relates to'a wheel more particularly adapted for use with automobiles and analogous vehicles. The wheels employed with this class of vehicles are provided with some means or other for absorbing the shock incident to travel, so that it is not communicated to the axle with the natural resultant jarring of the body of the car. In the present invention use is made of a plurality of bowed springs which are interposed between an outer ysection and an inner section. The outer section has relative movement with respect to the inner section against theV tension and resistance of these bowed springs, whereby when a rough'road is encountered the outer section will be forced toward the inner section and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 10, 1913.

Patented J an. 27, 1914-. Serial No. 789,188.

in so forcing compress thesprings, with the result that the springs act to absorb the shock.

Referring now to the drawings, the type of wheel therein illustrated comprises an outer section 5 and an inner section 6. The inner section comprises a rim 7 which, in the construction shown, has an outer periphery in the form of a metallic band 8 secured to the rim by means of suitable locking members as bolts V9, and extending from the rim or felly 7 are a plurality of spokes 10, of any ordinary construction, terminating in a. hub 11 which may also be of any desired construction. The outer section comprises a rim 12 and a rubber, leather or similar tread 13. This tread is not intended to absorb any material part of the shock, but is employed more for the purpose of eliminating the noise and rattle of the tread or rim of the outer section when the vehicle is propelled over the road or street.

The rim 12 is provided with a series `of threaded apertures 14: adapted to receive suitable locking means 15, as more clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which locking means serves to secure in place the outer shield or closure plates 16 which are also better shown in Figs 2 and 3. These plates serve as a housing to prevent the entrance of dust and mud into the interiorportion of the wheel. Each of the plates is slightly flanged at its outer end as at 7 to provide a rim for maintaining the tread 13 in place.

Interposed between the outer section and the inner section are a plurality of springs 18, each of which are of bowed formation with their concave port-ions facing the inner section. Each of the springs are alike in construction and formation, and such construction will be best understood perhaps by referring to Fig. 4. Each spring comprises a body portion 19 and a head 20 located on the upper face and approximately midway between the free ends thereof. The head, as shown, is of dovetailed formation.

The springs are preferably arranged circumferentially of the axle of the wheel and in the following manner: A pair of springs are placed opposite to one another, as shown in Fig. 2, sothat one lies to each outer edge of the rim of the outer sect-ion 5. These springs may be termed the opposed springs. A space 21 is provided between such opposed springs, as shown in Fig. 2. This construction provides a pair of springs at that particular point, and pairs of springs are similarly arranged and placed at inter vals around the rim 12 of the outer section 5. The spring next adjacent to each of the pairs of springs consists of a single spring designated by 18a, as shown in Fig. 2, and the free ends of these single springs pass through the spaces between the pairs of springs, as shown in Fig. 1. Thus, there is alternately provided a. pair of springs and a single spring. This arrangementcontinues entirely around the circumference of the rims of the outer and inner sections. The springs are thus arranged in staggered relation with their free ends overlapping. This is an important point, since it allows of the use of springs of suflicient dimensions to obtain the desired resilience, and at the same time allows a sufficient number of springs to be used, whereby several of them receive the force of the shock, thus eliminating the bringing of the pressure due to the shock to bear upon a single spring, or a few springs, which w'ould be undesirable, since they would give way under the strain unless they be so heavy and stiff as to be devoid of resiliency. The springs, when arranged in the manner above described, to a certain extent interweave one with the other, and the springs placed to the outside of the rim of the outer section serve to maintain the free ends of the center spring against transverse movement across the rim of the inner section, while the center springs serve in conjunction with the closure plates 16 to prevent transverse movement of the free ends of the outer springs across the rim of the inner Section.

A suitable pocket 22 is provided for the head 20 of each of the outer springs 18, and a suitable pocket 23 is provided for the head Q0 of each of the inner springs 18a. The pockets are all formed on the inner face of the rim 12 of the sect-ion 5, and said pockets are of dovetailed formation to conform to the dovetailed formation of the heads. This arrangement permits the ready removal of any particular spring or the insertion of a new set. A series of lugs or ribs 24 are formed integral with, or fixedly secured to, the periphery 8 of the inner section 7. Each of the lugs or ribs 24 is of angled formation, being undercut as at 25, and by referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that these lugs are so disposed as to lie adjacent the free ends of each of the springs. Thus, supposing the sect-ion 7 to be the poweredriven section of the wheel, when said section is rotated, the lugs are brought into contact with one free end of each of the springs, and thus a positive tractive engagement is effected between the inner section and the outer section through the instrumentality of the springs which serve in a sense as a clutch to lock the sections together. In this manner, the necessary tractive power is imparted from the driven inner section of the wheel to the outer section of the wheel. It will be noted, how'- ever, that under normal conditions one or both of the free ends of each spring will lie away from the lugs or abutments, so that there is sufficient space provided to permit the springs to expand when they shall be subjected to pressure incident to the shock.

In operation, when the outer section strikes an obstruction, itI will be moved toward the inner section, decreasing the space between the inner and outer sections below the axial center of the wheel7 and increasing the space between the outer and inner sections above the axial center of the wheel. By decreasing the space below the axial center, all of the springs lying within that space will, of course, be compressed and placed under aV tension, and this tension tends to withstand the inward movement of the outer section, and in so doing will absorb the shock incident to the jolt, which would otherwise be communicated to the inner section and to the axle of the wheel. By the arrangement above described, a positive tractive engagement between the inner and outer sections of the wheel is effected, and sufficient play is permitted the springs to allow them to expand and contract as is necessary during the travel of the wheel over face of the outer periphery 8 during expansion and contract-ion, and this periphery, as shown, is curved in the same general direction as the springs, thereby eliminating to a great extent the friction and wear incident to a construction in which the springs slide over a surface of a curve different from the curve of the springs.

I claim:

1. In a wheel of the class described, the combination of an inner section and an outer section, said outer section being movable with respect to the inner section, said inner section comprising a hub, spokes, and a felly, a band about the periphery of the felly, a series of transversely undercut ribs on said band, said band being smooth for the remainder of the surface thereof, the inner surface of the outer Section being formed with a series of slots, some of said slots being arranged in pairs oppositely dis'- posed to one another, and located at the outer edges of said inner surface, and others of said slots being arranged centrally of said surface, all of said slots being of dovetail formation, and the pairs of slots alternating With the centrally disposed slots, a series of curved springs arranged with their concave surfaces toward the periphery of the band, a head on each of said springs arranged to seat Within one of said slots, and the free ends of the spring resting upon the periphery of the band and normally spaced away from said ribs, substantially as described.

2. In a Wheel of the class described, the combination of an inner section andan outer section, said outer section being movable With respect to the inner section, said inner section comprising a hub, spokes, and a felly, a band about the periphery of the felly, a series of transversely undercut ribs on said band, said band being smooth for the remainder of the surface, the inner surface of the outer section being formed with a series of slots, some of said slots being arranged in pairs oppositely disposed to one another, and located at the outer edges of said inner surface, and others of said slots being arranged centrally of said surface, a tapered groove leading from the outer edge of said surface to each of said centrally disposed slots, all of said slots being of dovetail formation, and the pairs of slots alternating with the centrally disposed slots, a series of curved springs arranged with their concave surfaces toward the periphery of the band, a head on each spring arranged to seat Within one of said slots, and the free ends of the springs resting upon the periphery of the band and normally spaced away from said ribs, substantially as described.

Y FRANK J. KRDEL. Witnesses HENRY H. KRoDnL, CHAS. A. KRDEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

